On Wednesday night, Filipino ring legend Manny Pacquiao announced on several social media platforms that for the first time ever, he’ll be taking a student under his wing with the hopes of turning that lucky individual into a boxing great.
“For the first time in boxing history, I decided to get my first and only student,” the retired eight-division world champion said.
@callmegrand Done deal signing with my first and only boxing student Vladimir Grand, whom I believe will become a great boxer. New beginning of a boxing legacy!🥊🔥 (To All social media boxers - I suggest you start training!)
? original sound - Vladimir Grand
According to Pacman, he’ll personally train his apprentice from scratch, which means that his pupil is most likely inexperienced when it comes to practicing the sweet science. But that doesn't stop Coach Manny from believing that his padawan will turn into a sensational fighter.
Now, who is his protege, exactly?
Well, without further ado, Pacquiao’s special trainee is Philippine-based Ukrainian social media influencer Vladimir Grand.
“I still cannot believe this is happening. I’m just blown away by this news, Manny,” Grand told the fight icon as he joined the video announcement.
“This is a huge honor and privilege to have you as my coach, to have you as my mentor, manager, all in together,” he continued.
For those who might not be familiar with Grand’s work, his social media handle is @callmegrand. He has 46.1K YouTube subscribers, which is a modest number for someone who is considered as an influencer. Offsetting that figure is his TikTok account which has 17.1M followers. Grand’s content is mostly comedic.
With that in mind, Pacquiao and Grand’s surprising partnership begs the question, is the whole thing for real or is it all just a gimmick?